1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image forming apparatus for recording desired image information on an image bearing member, such as an electrophotographic copying apparatus, a magnetic photographic apparatus or other electrostatic recording apparatus. Accordingly, the present invention is also applicable to a printer apparatus such as a laser beam printer for recording the output information of a microapparatus or a computer on an image bearing member. Particularly, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which is openably divisible into a first housing and a second housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,262 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,334, the so-called openable body type copying apparatuses are known. However, the fixing devices used in these openable body type copying apparatuses are so-called chamber type fixing devices and are not those in which an image bearing member is held between two rollers and conveyed thereby. In the fixing devices used in these openable body type copying apparatuses, heaters individually surrounded by casings are merely disposed above and below the conveyance path of the image bearing member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,781 also discloses a so-called openable body type copying apparatus. In this copying apparatus, however, the pressing operation between fixing rollers is accomplished by operating a handle.
That is, none of the above-described known examples has disclosed resilient means acting to open the body and acting for the pressing between a first rotatable member and a second rotatable member for holding the image bearing member therebetween and conveying the same to fix a toner image on the image bearing member.